“If you could make a movie about a UT player or team, who/which team would it be about?” – @McLovin_865
Daniel: In recent history, Jacob Gilliam has to be one of the best stories in college football. Local kid that grinds for five years, earns his job, tears his ACL, plays on it, breaks his hand before the final bowl game, plays anyways and helps his team finish strong. That’s some Hollywood-type stuff there. Inky Johnson’s story is obviously great too. In terms of a team, obviously the 1998 football team or following one of Bruce’s better teams for a year would be quality entertainment.
Houston: I would love to see a full-length feature on the life and career of Cordarrelle Patterson with the majority of the movie focusing on his one year at Tennessee. He came from practically nothing, had to go to JUCO, came to Tennessee and set the world on fire – albeit on a terrible team – while sleeping on couches because he didn’t have a place to live. Plus, you could have some bonus comedy with Derek Dooley’s character in the movie that would make for fantastic cinema. Think about all the characters on that team…Da’Rick (before he gets kicked off), Tyler Bray, Jim Chaney, Dooley, Sal Sunseri…etc. It would be a classic.
Reed: So many options. If you want the feel good Vol story, General Neyland’s 1939 team, which didn’t allow a point, would be fantastic. If you want depressing/sad/indie film, chronicling the demise of Janzen Jackson comes to mind. As far as basketball goes, Bernard King was one of the greatest players to ever play the game. He could have been top-10 all time had injuries not derailed his career. ESPN captured it a bit in their 30 for 30 feature, but his ups and downs would make for a compelling movie. But the BEST answer goes to Kevin below…keep reading.
Kevin: Come on baby it’s Hollywood, there’s only one answer and he wears a visor down in Tuscaloosa now. “CLK” the film would be great drama, Gabriel Macht (Harvey from Suits) would be phenomenal in that role. Maybe the guy who played Hagrid in the Harry Potter series to be Ed Orgeron? The 2009 off field drama and recruiting stories are too good not to tell on the big screen.
John: Stop it, Kevin.
Okay, honorable mention: Jimmy Streater. More on him in a bit.
But DL alluded to the obvious choice. Inky.
A screenplay writer friend of mine once told me that the secret to a great plot is to have your protagonist face something seemingly insurmountable 80% of the way through the film. Preferably after having overcome countless obstacles prior to that point.
So there’s Inky. Defying the odds his whole life to become one of the leaders — one of the galvanizing forces — on one of the proudest programs in the land. And in the blink of an eye, all that hard work and perseverance was taken away from him. Yet look what he’s gone on to become since. Look what he means to Vol Nation. To every person who’s ever had the privilege to hear him speak.
Inky Johnson is a flat-out stud. If I’m not mistaken, ESPN Films is doing something on him. Like a 30 for 30 or something. If I’m wrong on that, I shouldn’t be.
Honorable mention: Jimmy Streater, aka the Sylva Streak. He was my first favorite Vol, and while I know a good portion of our audience is too young to remember him, I’m telling you, he was a true badass. He was also a tragic figure.
PLEASE do yourself a favor and watch this. I’ve set it to begin with two of his most spectacular plays, but I encourage you to watch the entire thing. And as you do, remember that this dude played in 1979. Football didn’t look like that back then.
http://youtu.be/iBPBncOiH3I?t=3m35s
Now, read this and I think you’ll see why his story would make such a compelling film, albeit one with a much different ending that Inky’s triumphant one:
http://www.stategazette.com/story/1062877.html
“Will Charles Mosley get moved to offense?” – Cody Helton
Daniel: My guess it ultimately, yes, but we’ll have a better idea for you this spring. He’ll start on defense, but it will be interesting to see if he has the athleticism Steve Stripling wants to see on that side of the ball. A lot of it may be up to him and how much he’s willing to put the work in to drop his weight down lower in the 300s.
“What is your favorite Sturgill Simpson song and why?” – Jared Anderson
Reed: I saw Sturgill live at the Bijou this winter and the roof nearly came off during Living the Dream, so it’s definitely up there. But I’m gonna go with Hero. It’s a fantastic, old school country song that reminds me of listening to similar songs on my grandfather’s record player, but it also could have been about him– a WW2 hero that was my hero not just for his service, but due to his hard work, rise from the ashes and how he cared for his family. “And if I’m half the man he is when I die/ I don’t know if I could ask for too much more.” I spoke similar words at my grandfather’s funeral and I meant every word. I can’t hear that song without thinking fond memories of the greatest man I ever knew. I’m willing to bet that song has near universal appeal to our readers who were heavily influenced by folks from the Greatest Generation.
Houston: Turtles All The Way Down. It’s far deeper than you might think and kind of gives some insight into where his sound, lyrics and “spirituality” come from. I don’t necessarily agree with him on a lot of it, but at least he’s honest. Click here to understand the title, and click here for lyrics and an explanation from him.
John: Three things strike me as it pertains to this question:
1) The boys didn’t prompt me to answer it (as my name wasn’t listed under the question when I popped in to do my portion), thus, I’m left to assume, they don’t think I’m down with Sturgill.
2) Just as the realization from No. 1 was sinking in, look what popped up on my Pandora:
So I clearly am down. Which leads me to…
3) My answer: It Ain’t All Flowers. For a few reasons. First, it’s about as haunting as it gets. The song is cut from cloth that’s woven together by a self-destructive, melancholy yet impossibly beautiful thread. No one’s writing stuff like this right now.
Cleaning out the darkest corners of my mind
Taking all my full circles and making them straight lines
Been getting to the bottom of the bottom getting to me
Holding up the mirror to everything I don’t wanna see
You can have your songs about tanned legs swinging over Georgia plates. I’m rolling with Sturgill. He’s a throwback to the best elements of outlaw country.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_EGCwKp1Xss
“What is the best item by value (portion, taste) at the concession stands in TBA?” – Jeff Archer
Houston: The barbecue pork nachos from Calhoun’s for $9 are about as good as it gets. But, if we’re talking about regular concession food, then I’d have to go with the chicken sandwich or burger w/ fries for $8. Solid portions, good taste, and you get all the ranch, BBQ, mayo, honey/regular mustard and or ketchup you want. Sneak on over to Petro’s for some jalapenos and hot sauce and you can take that burger/sandwich in any flavor direction you’d wish. I still miss Gulden’s mustard, though…sigh.
Reed: Jeff, what a great question. I’m going with either the tenders and fries or burger and fries for $8. Those fries have some addictive (read: MSG) seasoning and the tenders/burgers are always solid and filling. For taste + value + ability to fill my gluttonous self, they’re the clear winner.
Daniel: I have excellent media voucher ($8) discipline. I usually go with the burger and fries, chicken tenders and fries or sometimes the personal pizza from Papa John’s – all of which come in at $8.
Kevin: The answer is a hot dog, and I don’t care what fresh hell they cook into those things I will always eat one when attending a ball game. Those Nachos are suspect, in my opinion, and those guys get stingy with their popcorn portions.
“How about an inside report on offseason workouts and who’s adding muscle and who’s losing fat?” – Rick Mustin
Daniel: Not going to be able to give you a complete BMI breakdown for every player or anything, but we’ve asked around to see who looks good this offseason. Evan Berry has put on a ton of muscle and we’re very interested to see how the coaching staff utilizes him going forward. Todd Kelly Jr. has also bulked up a good bit. He’s one of those guys that didn’t get the benefit of using a lot of his freshman season to get in college shape because he was asked to play so much and could really take a leap over the offseason. Joshua Dobbs, we’re told, is excelling in the offseason conditioning program. Last I spoke to strength coach Dave Lawson, he told me that Owen Williams, Mack Crowder and Kyler Kerbyson were some of the strongest guys on the team in terms of numbers on the big lifts (squat, bench, power clean, etc).
Kevin: I can tell you that whether its’ the offseason or mid-October I’m always putting on mass (see the hot dog comments) but otherwise I think Houston, Reed and Daniel are still Men’s Health Magazine cover material.
“Are the Sooners on upset alert in Knox this season?” – @CJRobinson9
Daniel: I don’t even know that they’ll be that big of favorites, honestly. Tennessee is ranked ahead of them in some early top-25 polls. I wouldn’t be surprised to see a line within a few points, but we’ll see how the rest of the offseason and Week 1 goes for both teams. I think Tennessee certainly will have a good chance in that game, but Oklahoma has some very good football players such as running back Samaje Perine and linebacker/Tennessee-offensive-line’s worst-nightmare Eric Striker, who is coming back for his senior season, much to UT’s chagrin. I’m already dreading picking this one, but to answer your question, if OU is the favorite, it certainly will be on upset alert.
Houston: 100% yes. Worley in the pocket is one thing, but Dobbs dipping, dodging, ducking and diving his way through the Sooner defense is completely different story. That game is the home-opener, and you can bet that Neyland will be a zoo. I’ll need to see the Vols against Bolwing Green to be certain, but I think the Sooners are in for a big surprise on September 12th.
Reed: Yes, if they’re even favorites. When the Vols fell to the Sooners in Norman last year, I made my pick: the Vols are beating the Sooners in Neyland this fall.
“Do you think the MLS will have to strike? Is free agency what homegrown soccer needs? Who’s your EPL teams?” – @collins0696
Houston: They don’t need to strike, they need people with a ton of money to buy the teams, restructure the setup, and go get some of the top players from Europe to come across the pond. Mario Balotelli is allegedly in talks with Orlando and Rafael van der Vaart has already had talks with Kansas City, so it’s a start…but what really needs to happen is the U.S. create four-ish teams who become integrated with the EPL. They need to travel overseas and also host teams like Liverpool, Chelsea, ManU/ManC, Arsenal…etc. to grow interest in the sport. American teams competing against ‘outsiders’ would get people on board in a hurry. It’s a pipe dream, but it’s actually where they should have started, IMO.
Everton. “Up the Toffees.” #COYB
Daniel: Wake me up when we play in The World Cup again.
Kevin: Collins0696 you’ve got stones bringing a soccer question to the table so I will treat your question with the respect it deserves; if the MLS goes on strike I will watch exactly the same amount of MLS Soccer I did last year. “Homegrown” soccer in the USA needs too many things to answer in a mailbag, and I don’t watch much EPL, but I do speak in a British accent throughout the duration of any FIFA 15 match I play.
“I’d like to know why so many of our players are getting injured in the off season and going to miss spring ball.” – Gene T. Ownbey Jr.
Daniel: No huge cause for concern, a majority of them are just guys who were hurt during the season and are recovering from a procedure or who had something cleaned up in the offseason. Defensive line and running back (which is already incredibly thin) are the two positions that are really going to struggle to have complete practice groups, but it creates opportunities for guys like Dimarya Mixon, Kendal Vickers, etc. to step in and get some more work. We already know what Derek Barnett can do. I think the biggest losses this spring are newcomers LB Darrin Kirkland Jr. and DE Kyle Phillips.
Here’s the tentative injury list, if you missed it:
Out: DE Derek Barnett, LB Darrin Kirkland Jr., DT Danny O’Brien, DE Kyle Phillips, WR Jason Croom
Questionable/limited: WR Marquez North, TE Alex Ellis, RB Jalen Hurd, OL Chance Hall, DL/OL Charles Mosley, LB Dillon Bates, LB Jakob Johnson, DE Corey Vereen, DB Rashaan Gaulden
“Which freshman will have his black stripe removed first in fall camp?” – Ryan Reed
Daniel: I’d feel better about my prediction if he were healthy this spring, but I’ll say Darrin Kirkland Jr. I think he’ll be in the mix at inside linebacker and all indications are that he’s a tough, hard-working and smart guy, so I think he picks up on the defense quickly and makes a push to get on the field early and possibly sheds that stripe first. Kahlil McKenzie will be in the mix as well if he’s in good shape when he comes in.
Houston: Kahlil McKenzie. He’ll throw some unsuspecting offensive lineman 15 feet through the air and into the quarterback for a sack and they’ll have no choice. Or he may just take it off himself when they hand him his helmet in the first place.
Reed: Kyle Phillips. He’s out this spring and is a noted hard worker. He impressed everyone on the camp circuit and should continue that trend when he steps on the practice field in August.
